That of the Assassins is an order with a thousand-year history, forged in the fire of a thousand invisible battles and governed by precise moral rules established by the many personalities who were part of it.
While playing an Assassin’s Creed game or simply reading about it, you have probably come across the famous phrase “Nothing is true, everything is permitted” . It is also likely that you have been fascinated by it, because in addition to being captivating, it also lends itself to more than one interpretation. But what does the maxim mean for members of the Assassin’s Order? Let’s find out together.
What does “Nothing is real, everything is permissible” mean?
The maxim “Nothing is real, everything is permissible” was created by Hassan-i Sabbāh , the Persian leader who transformed the ancient Order of the Occult into the modern Brotherhood of Assassins in the eleventh century . Players heard it for the first time in Assassin’s Creed, when Al-Mualim explains to Altair that, contrary to what I may seem if I read it with little attention, the maxim does not require us to be free, but rather to be wise . During his lifetime, Altair later understood that “laws do not come from divinity, but from reason” .
The most complete and exhaustive explanation was given by Ezio Auditore da Firenze in Assassin’s Creed Revelations, when he found himself discussing the topic in Constantinople with the bookseller (and his future wife) Sofia Sartor. When, during the story chapter “Return Home”,
Sofia expresses all her doubts about the maxim, considering it cynical, Ezio explains to her that it is not a doctrine to follow, but rather an observation on reality.
Read carefully the words of the Italian Assassin: “It would be [cynical] if it were a doctrine. But it is only an observation of the nature of reality. To say that nothing is real means to understand that the foundations of society are fragile , and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization. To say that everything is permissible, however, means understanding that we are the architects of our actions , and that we must live with their consequences, both glorious and tragic.”
Is everything clear now? The maxim is also uttered during the initiation of the Assassins , as done by Ezio himself in Assassin’s Creed 2 during the ceremony officiated by Niccolò Machiavelli.
- Niccolò Machiavelli : When others blindly follow the truth, remember.
- Ezio Auditore : Nothing is real.
- Niccolò Machiavelli : When others bow to morality or the law remember.
- Ezio Auditore : Everything is permitted.
- Niccolò Machiavelli : We act in the shadows to serve the light. We are Assassins.